


Will there be a fifth time?

by onnall



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 12:13:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5707648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onnall/pseuds/onnall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first, second, third and fourth time Hux met Kylo Ren.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Third Time's a Charm

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't read any of the novelization or comics leading up to The Force Awakens, so apologies for making up the structure inside the First Order.  
> Also apologies for the errors in the language.

The first time Hux met Kylo Ren, he was the 20-year-old newly promoted Major, a shooting star within the First Order.

Technically they didn't meet. Hux was watching Ren from afar, with his mask on, talking to Hux's Commanding Officer's Commanding Officer. And Ren, probably, most certainly, did not know about Major Hux's existence, at all.

He saw the man he utterly respected, and aspired to one day step into his shoes, the General, giving in to Ren's demands. Of course he couldn't hear the conversation. But he could see the General's effort of holding back his anger.

They said Ren was the Supreme Leader's new and favorite apprentice. They said Ren slaughtered the entire Jedi Order. They said Ren was here to supervise an extremely important mission on behalf of the Supreme Leader.

"Then one day I will make him listen to me, assisting my mission, for the great future of the First Order." Hux thought to himself.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second time Hux met Kylo Ren was three years later. Hux had his own ship to command within the fleet at the time, so he was invited to the briefing of the mission, sitting with the Colonel in charge of the mission and other officers vital to the completion of the mission.

The Colonel didn't take time to introduce Ren to everyone or everyone to Ren. He only pointed to each of them when mentioning their pieces to the whole puzzle and adding their name and title into the narration.

Ren didn't comment on any of the arrangements the Colonel described. He seemed more like an observer of the mission, rather than being here to deliver any specific orders from the Supreme Leader.

"Maybe he's asleep, that mask can come in really handy to hide behind for a little nap during the meetings. So much for the Supreme Leader's favorite." Hux is amused by his own thought. He had to "accidentally" drop his pen and reached down to get it, so that he could have some time to wipe his little smile off his face and put back on the normal game face.

However, when he came back up with his game face, he noticed that Ren was staring at him.

Of course he was only assuming that Ren was staring at him. He couldn't see Ren's eyes but that menacing mask was facing Hux straight on.

And that mask stayed in the same direction and angle for the rest of the meeting.

And Hux could feel that mask was following his movement when he was standing up and started to exit the meeting room at the end of the meeting.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The third time Hux met Kylo Ren was another five years later. Hux was then Colonel Hux and had his own fleet to command. Hux's General relied very much on him so he introduced Hux to Kylo Ren before the briefing meeting for everyone. Ren's mask was even more menacing up close, especially with that small height advantage he had over Hux. The cape he added at some point after their last encounter on top of his robe and mask also helped with the effect. 

"This is the Master of the Knights of Ren, here on behalf of the Supreme Leader. This is Colonel Hux, who will be leading the mission."

Neither Ren nor Hux reached out their hands to complete the "pleasure to work with you" procedure.

Sensed the awkwardness of his General, Hux finally reached out his hand to Ren. "Pleasure to work with you, Sir."

"You've been rising up quickly within the First Order, Colonel." To Hux's surprise, Ren didn't reply with the routine. And he seemed to remember their previous brief encounter.

"I'm honored to have been serving the First Order the best I can." Hux tried not to show his surprise. 

Hux was then dismissed by the General to prepare for the briefing. The briefing would be opened by the General, then chaired by Hux to go through the detail of the mission, then the General would chip in again to add the final morale talk. Only this time, the General also added something else that was usually not part of the morale talk, "To better participate in the mission and report to Supreme Leader Snoke, Master Ren has requested to be onboard Colonel Hux's ship which will be on the front line rather than my ship."

 

"Sir, would you like to have a tour of the ship?" Hux wasn't very sure of the protocol of hosting Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader's brightest and favorite, so he offered the health and safety routine they normally offered to new stormtroopers or other new joiners.

"I have been onboard this model before so we only need to cover any modifications you made."

Then it would be quick, Hux thought. His ship had only a few non-standard equipments and weapons, two more emergency exits were added, no renovations had been done to the rooms except for the canteen.

Hux liked to explore the different food from different planets in the Galaxy. It was part of the motivation for him to fulfill the "rule the Galaxy" agenda. So when he could order modifications to his ship, he requested the canteen's kitchen be expanded, which ate away a meeting room. "I'll just deliver my message in the canteen if needed." He reasoned to himself.

The canteen was their last stop before the quarter temporarily assigned for Ren. When Hux was about to inform Kylo Ren the opening time of the canteen, Ren cut him off. "I will dine alone in my quarter. Have someone deliver the daily meals to me."

Oh of course, he couldn't eat with that mask on and he didn't want his face to be seen. How badly was he disfigured? How long had he been in this fight? Hux felt a bit of sympathy towards Kylo Ren. He sometimes did thank the stars for preserving his precious face after all these years of war and battle, especially in those early years. Although he sometimes also thought maybe one or two small scars on less significant areas on the face could make him more intimidating.

"I will arrange the meals to be delivered, Sir."

 

The mission was not a failure, but it was not exactly a success either. They completed the objectives, with great sacrifices.

Kylo Ren stood quietly as Hux reported to the General, without commenting on the part that Hux exaggerated or neglected. The General was satisfied that the planet has been occupied as planned and Ren managed to retrieve what the Supreme Leader sent him for without saying any bad word about his army.

"You may want to reconsider your methods to train and discipline your troops, Colonel, if you want to keep climbing up the ladder as you had. The Supreme Leader does not like unsustainable troops." Ren said in a very flat tone after exiting the General's room with Hux. With his mask on, Hux was not sure what Ren really meant by saying this.

Hux nodded to show his acknowledgement. But in his mind he also quickly disregarded Ren's comments. How dare you picking on my method after only staying on my ship for two weeks. What do you know about battles and troops you lone wolf.

Hux did admire Ren's performance in the field. He was focused, ruthless and efficient. No one could touch him, no one could stop that thing they called a lightsaber. Hux decided that he never wanted that thing to be ignited aboard his ship, let alone see it in action up close. Hux also decided that there was one thing about Kylo Ren that he didn't like, his recklessness. It might help being a Master of the Knights of Ren, it sure would not help being a senior military officer.

"You may also want to reconsider your attitude, again if you want to keep climbing up the ladder as you had." Ren walked away after leaving one last comment.

Hux was left to wonder whether he showed any of that despise or contempt on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fourth encounter was a bit extended.

The fourth time Hux met Kylo Ren was right after he became the youngest General of the First Order at the age of 30. Hux was not expecting to meet Ren though. Since he was doing strategic planning as a General, he would know whether a mission was important enough for the Supreme Leader to send his favorite apprentice. Occupying a simple planet without any other side missions to assassin anyone or retrieve anything did not require the attention from the Supreme Leader like this. Hux was not even planning to lead the assault himself.

But then Ren's ship requested to come onboard, and that was not a request General Hux could reject.

"It's nice seeing you again, General Hux, and congratulations on your promotion to General." Ren said to General Hux who came to the hanger to welcome him. Ren's mask seemed to have a bit more damages, other than that, nothing seemed to have changed on this Master of the Knights of Ren. That lightsaber thing was still hanging on his belt quietly.

Hux was not expecting such a warm greeting at all. "Thank you, Ren. Although I'm not sure I have ever really SEEN you before." Hux was also stunned by what came out of his own mouth. Perhaps I got carried away by the fact that I could address him as Ren instead of Sir now, he thought.

Kylo Ren looked around the stormtroopers walking around in the hanger and the other officers accompanying Hux. He didn't reply to Hux's comments implying his mask.

 

"I thought an important mission like this would be supervised by yourself, General Hux." Ren's tone sounded a bit annoyed when Hux was introducing the leading Colonel for the mission to him. "Supreme Leader Snoke is very keen for this mission to be completed smoothly and swiftly." Ren added.

"Is it your request or Supreme Leader Snoke's request that I supervise the mission?" Hux did not believe a trivial mission needed his attention just because Ren said so and would not budge just because Ren demanded so. A First Order General should have bigger and more crucial agenda to busy himself with. A First Order General should know when to delegate so that he would not drown in his work.

"I am sent here by the Supreme Leader, it is in your interest to take my word as the Supreme Leader's command." Ren's tone sounded almost threatening. His hand was not reaching for the lightsaber though.

"OK. I will personally lead the assault." Hux suddenly remembered the first time he saw Ren, when the old General gave in to whatever Ren demanded.

 

There really was no side mission for Kylo Ren, he was onboard by Hux's side the whole time watching the mission played out, smoothly and swiftly, as he said the Supreme Leader wanted it to be. As arrogant as Hux was, he still did not think it would play out any differently should it be led by the Colonel originally assigned. It was just a planet, a really cold one, with very few civilizations anyway.

"Supreme Leader Snoke is expecting you in the hologram room." Ren left the bridge after dropping this "invite".

Hux would be lying to you if he said he had never envied Kylo Ren. Ren had always been said to be the Supreme Leader's favorite. He must be meeting and talking to the Supreme Leader on a regular basis. He must be part of the mastermind in constructing the First Order's future. And Hux, despite being the shooting star within the First Order since the day he joined 12 years ago and successfully becoming the youngest General, he had never met Supreme Leader Snoke. Apparently, promotion ceremony for new generals was considered too trivial for the Supreme Leader to attend.

When Hux arrived at the hologram room, he saw a really tall figure standing in the middle of the room. That figure was wearing Kylo Ren's outfit, but the hood on the cape was off, and the round and smooth back of the mask was replaced by some long, black and curly hair. Hearing Hux's footsteps, that figure turned around, "General Hux, shall we start?" What greeted Hux was a young, pale and long face. No scar or any types of disfigurement, whatever imperfections on the face were not something necessary to hide behind a mask. The young man's voice was soft, as opposed to the deep and disturbing effect added by the mask.

Hux walked to the young man's side, and the hologram came up. The Supreme Leader's appearance was not as unexpected or exciting as that of who Hux believed to be Kylo Ren's, if he had to be honest with you.

Hux also did not expect the forth encounter with Kylo Ren to last for years. As it turned out, Supreme Leader Snoke wanted to build this planet into a weapon called Starkiller Base, and Hux was trusted with overseeing the whole construction and operation. Kylo Ren was to also stay on the Starkiller Base to report the progress together with Hux, as well as some other duties not disclosed to Hux. The weapon was expected to be operational in four years.

After the hologram went dark, Hux was pondering whether he should say anything, he was not sure how big a deal seeing Kylo Ren's face was.

"General, I hope you've enjoyed finally meeting me face to face." Kylo Ren slid on the mask and left the hologram room.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a year since Supreme Leader Snoke ordered the commencement of the construction of the Starkiller Base. Construction was on schedule, training of stormtroopers and mechanics for operation of the base was ongoing. Part of the personnel commissioned on the planet had moved from the old structure left before the invasion to the newly built structures. There shouldn't have been anything that kept General Hux awake at night. 

But there was.

That thing was called Kylo Ren.

Supreme Leader Snoke only instructed that Ren and Hux report to him together every fortnight. That usually ran for about an hour. He didn't specify what other things Ren was supposed to be doing on the base besides those two hours every month.

And of course, General Hux did not have the authority to order Ren around.

Ren had a training schedule every day, that training was not supposed to be interrupted by anyone on the base, unless Supreme Leader Snoke summoned him for urgent matters.

Ren sat in most of the program meetings for the construction, as long as they took place outside of his training hours. From time to time he would comment on the subject such as budget, schedule, procurement or expenses, but mostly he was quiet during the meeting. Hux assumed that he was just there to make sure he was reporting accurately to Supreme Leader Snoke.

Ren went on occasional missions away from the base, that usually happened after those urgent matters Supreme Leader Snoke summoned him for. He would take his own ship unless the travel was too far. For those far away trips he would take a bigger ship and some crew from Hux.

In conclusion, Kylo Ren didn't have to be on the base besides being the eyes and ears for the Supreme Leader. And him being the eyes and ears for the Supreme Leader bothered General Hux.

This particular day bothered General Hux even more. Kylo Ren just came back from one of his own missions, the mission was in a system far away so he took one of Hux's ships. Now the crew were reporting some damages onboard the ship.

"What do you mean damages to the control panel? I thought the ship didn't take any hit from the enemy." General Hux overheard the mechanics' divisional leader asking one of the crew as he walked by.

"Ren sliced up the control panel..." Hearing this, Hux decided to walk back to the crew member.

 

Hux had to admit that Kylo Ren never struck him as the hysterical type. Yes he had a temper, that much Hux had noticed. Whenever they disagreed on things during the meeting, Ren would confront Hux after the meeting and threaten him. But he didn't lose it during the meeting, nor did he ever really get physical with Hux. So, what happened during the mission? The crew could only say Ren perhaps failed the first time, sliced up the control panel, demanded them to pursue further and finally completed the mission. They didn't really know anything that happened outside the ship. That episode also didn't occur in front of them. One crew member walked in on Ren and quickly ran away from the room.

Hux had been standing by Ren's door for maybe 5 minutes. He knew he needed to do something to prevent this from happening again but he wasn't sure how. Just when he was about to walk away and have another thought about this, the door slid open. Taking it as an invitation, Hux walked in.

Kylo Ren was sitting on a rug in the corner of the room, meditating. He seemed calm, that should be what meditation could bring you, but he was also breathing very heavily. His head was tilted down and he didn't look up to Hux as he walked towards him.

"I thought you reviewed the latest actual vs budget report and are aware of our overspend situation." Hux decided to cut in from the safest angle. "The Resistance prevented us from occupying several planets, we haven't been able to acquire labor and raw material at the budgeted cost. So I would appreciate it if you don't add repairing expenses on top of it." 

Ren looked up, and Hux was shocked by his expression. Ever since the first time Kylo Ren showed him his face a year ago, Hux had been seeing Ren's face more often. Whenever they were alone, Ren would remove his mask. Hux had noticed that Ren had this slight sadness in his eyes, although his face, most of the time, would have no obvious expressions. But this time, that sadness had spread across his face. Kylo Ren seemed to be on the verge of crying.

"I will try." Kylo Ren said slowly.

"If there is anything you'd like to share, you can talk to..." Hux wanted to say "me", but he opted another choice. "Our doctors. They also take emergency calls." Then Hux was regretting this. Kylo Ren would probably slice me up now, he thought.

"I will not report this separately to the Supreme Leader, it will just be included as part of the maintenance cost." Hux offered as he got ready to leave the room.

"He knows. He always does."

 

Whether Kylo Ren tried to refrain himself from destroying Hux's ships, Hux would never know. It happened a few times again in the following years. It never happened on the base, it was always during those secret missions. 

Whenever it happened, Hux would pay Ren another visit, trying to engage him into any talk he was willing to participate in, or not talk at all. Hux learned a little bit more about Kylo Ren, for example how the Force and the Dark Side worked, and also shared a little bit about himself, for example his life before military academy. If there was no talk involved, Hux would just be reading some books in Ren's quarter, waiting for him to calm down through the meditation.

As time went on, Kylo Ren also started to help Hux with some of the work on the base, without interfering with his own training schedule, besides listening to reports during the program meetings. Hux realized that he liked Ren's presence in the program management office, and it wasn't just for the fact that people were scared of that mask and worked more efficiently.

When Hux was not too busy, Ren would also allow him to be present during his training. Sometimes it was just a meditation session with not much to see, but Hux enjoyed the company.

Hux's kitchen would sometimes have innovative ideas and create new cuisines, and Hux would bring it to Kylo Ren's quarter to do the tasting together, if Ren happened to also have time. Ren did not know how to appreciate fine dining, but he wouldn't throw Hux out of the room.

They argued a lot about the work, Ren still threatened Hux afterwards when others couldn't hear, but their report to Supreme Leader Snoke usually only reflected the fact that construction was on schedule.

 

Then came the lead for the map to Skywalker's location, then evolved it into a chase for a droid, then was the droid replaced with a girl, then was the weapon tested for its power, then collapsed the base. It was also reported to General Hux that Kylo Ren destroyed two rooms. And the Supreme Leader ordered Hux to bring Ren back to complete his training.

Because of the vast size of the Base, Hux requested all senior personnel to be wearing a tracker whenever they were on duty. This applied to Kylo Ren and Ren didn't oppose, to Hux's surprise. The tracker on Ren was still activated when Hux tried to find him. What a genius was I, thought Hux, I wouldn't be able to find him through the Force like he would be able to if it were the other way around.

Kylo Ren was sedated on their way to Supreme Leader Snoke and Hux was watching the medics working on the wounds all over Ren's body. He had never seen him so calm and in peace, and he doubted he would ever see it again once the sedation wore off. He was particularly concerned about that long burn on the face. He had to admit he was very fond of seeing Kylo Ren's face, even though it was way less perfect than his own face in the mirror. Now your mask would have some real use, thought Hux.


End file.
